Chaos unfolded at Kabul airport on Monday after thousands rushed inside to catch an available flight
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan after the government collapsed on Sunday. President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and admitted that the terrorists had won the 20-year war. The rapid government collapse, with terrorists taking over the presidential palace on Sunday night, sparked fear and panic in the capital, Kabul. “The Taliban have won with the judgment of their swords and guns and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their compatriots,” President Ghani said afterwards.
Taliban terrorists have taken over checkpoints across the city, along with the streets of the Green Zone, the heavily fortified neighborhood where most embassies and international organizations are located.
Chaos unfolded at Kabul airport Monday morning after thousands of people rushed in to take an available flight out of the country, leading to a desperate situation. Five people have died at Kabul airport today, but it is unclear whether they were killed in shelling or in a stampede, Reuters reported.
Afghan airspace has been closed to commercial flights after thousands of desperate people flooded the tarmac this morning hoping to leave the war-torn country, a day after the Taliban took control of the city.
The Afghan Civil Aviation Authority has asked all transit planes to reroute, adding that any transit through Kabul’s airspace would be unchecked, Reuters news agency reported.
Meanwhile, some western countries rushed to evacuate their citizens and local personnel from Kabul on Monday and managed to arrange some evacuations on Monday.
As thousands of people stormed the city’s airport to escape the group’s feared, hard-line Islamist rule, the US and 65 other countries issued a joint statement urging the Taliban to allow Afghan and foreign citizens to leave.
(With input from agencies)